It Rains When She Arrives
by eden alice
Summary: "It's going to be okay. We're going to be okay." Danielle never died but it does not mean that there will be a fairy tale ending.


I was not planning on doing this, especially as I'm more interested in Ronnie than Danielle (don't kill me) and everyone else has been writing similar pieces. It is just that there are so many fascinating aspects of characters relationships that I want to explore (not just Ronnie and Danielle). I hope to write a realistic story following Danielle surviving the car crash. Just a warning I don't have a planned plot just a few key things I need to happen, the rest will be character driven as I write it. Please read and let me know what you think.

It Rains When She Arrives

"Baby" The word escapes her lips in an elated whisper. She was surprised at how perfect the word sounded having spent so long carefully avoiding it, how right. She came to an abrupt stop, wobbling slightly on her high heels. The wind from the early spring night was cool against her wet cheeks.

Danielle turned slowly as if awakening from a deep daze, a spark of light flashed in her dulled blue eyes breaking through her anaesthetized state. Ronnie took in every detail, every second like a starving woman. It was as if the world was tentatively righting itself.

As a small surprised smile appeared on Danielle's lips she saw her expression mirrored on her mother's tear stained face. Ronnie watched as her daughter's smile grew and the fragile hope she kept hidden deep inside strengthened. Maybe for once, she had not destroyed everything close to her; maybe she had her little girl back and finally had someone who needed her.

Ronnie continued to methodically memorise her daughter's pretty face. A face she had seen a hundred times over the past few months. How had she not noticed the familiar curve of her lips, her nose? Those open blue eyes? Now the veil had been lifted she saw Roxy, in Danielle, saw herself reflected back.

She opened her arms thinking nothing of the years of torture and pain, of how her father had deceived her. All she thought of was finally holding her daughter again after so many years and feeling the warmth of her skin, then maybe this could all be real and not just some bad dream.

Danielle did not hesitate as she started to run back towards her mother. This was all she had ever wanted. A moment ago she did not think she would ever be free from the bottomless pit of despair and yet now she felt a euphoric lightness.

A thousand times over she had imagined what would happen when her birth mother finally learnt who she was. She had never imagined half the evens that had transpired since her arrival in Walford. Had not imagined that her birth mother would be so cold and unlike the wonderful woman who had raised her. But for all her naivety the expression on Ronnie's face as she looked at Danielle with knowing for the first time was more incredible than she could ever imagine. There was an openness in her mother's face, and oh god, love. It was all making her feel dizzy but nothing was going to stop her reaching her mother, not when her happy ending was in sight.

It was the harsh glow of the cars lights cutting through the darken night that first alerted the pair to the fast approaching car. The sound of the engine roared when just a second ago it was nothing but white noise.

"Danielle!"

There was horror in Ronnie's voice as she called her daughters name. Danielle found herself fascinated by the desperate vulnerability she could hear in the tone, how suddenly Ronnie seemed like an entirely different person to the one she had been trying to get to know for months. In confusion she turned and stared at the car heading towards her, unable to interpret what was taking place. The brightness of the lights on Danielle's face made it almost impossible to see the bulky metal that made up the car clearly and she ludicrously wondered why it was heading directly at her, forgetting that she was standing in the middle of the road.

The only thing Ronnie could think was that she could not lose her little girl again. When her father told her Amy was dead she had never felt so alone, condemned to a life of emptiness because she did not love her baby enough. But her baby was alive, she was right in front of her and there was no way she could watch anyone take her away again, it would kill her. She had to get her little girl out of the cars path; she had to protect her for once.

Danielle still could not quite grasp what was happening when she felt a hand take a clumsy grip on her wrist and then another hard against her opposite shoulder. The next thing she knew she was falling backwards propelled by the weight on top of her body.

Ronnie blindly threw herself at her daughter knocking the pair of them flying. They landed in a twist of limbs half on the pavement as the car sped past barely slowing.

"Oh god, Danielle, Danielle are you okay?" Ignoring the way her shoulder protested Ronnie pulled herself off Danielle. She was blinded to the rest of the world till she knew her little girl was okay.

Danielle sat up slowly feeling sick to her stomach. If Ronnie had not acted the car would have hit her, why had she not been scared? She took a deep breath; the air hurt her chest from having the wind knocked out of her. Her hip felt tender and bruised from the hard landing. Looking down away from her mother's urgent gaze she noticed her dress had been ripped at some point.

Suddenly her eyes filled with tears once again. She had spent so long trying to make herself perfect for the wedding, for being part of her family for the first time. She had fought for so long and she was exhausted. But the worst had to be over now. Ronnie knew, Ronnie cared and maybe now she could stop lurching from one tragedy to another.

"Just a bit bruised. I'm fine." Her voice was thick with tears not used to the level of worry in her mother's eyes. She smiled broadly, "I'm fine."

The worry on Ronnie's face lessened slightly at her daughter's words. She could not stop touching the girl, making sure she was not more injured than she let on, that she was really still there.

A gasp from Danielle made her jump thinking she had hurt her.

"You're bleeding…your cheek. I'm so sorry, I should have…"

Ronnie frowned in confusion as Danielle babbled nervously. She raised a hand to the cheek Danielle was staring at, her fingers met a thick stickiness and she could not help but hiss in pain. She had not even noticed she was hurt, it didn't matter.

"You have nothing to apologise for sweetheart." She hiccupped a sob so completely overwhelmed. This was her little girl, her little girl was _alive. _

Danielle stared into her mother's eyes for a second longer before leading forward boldly and rapping her arms around her middle, relief making her more confident that usual. Ronnie quickly hugged her back; a hand smoothing her daughter's dishevelled hair. Her mother was concerned about her, her mother loved her.

She let out a shaky laugh. Her leg was bent at an odd angle and it ached against the cold ground but there was no way Danielle was going to move away from her mother. The older woman felt so solid and safe and alive, she smelt faintly of expensive perfume and to Danielle she was perfect.

"It's going to be okay. We're going to be okay." She whispered with a resolve she had never felt so strongly for all her stubbornness. It was a promise between mother and daughter. They finally had a chance.


End file.
